5 Things to Know About Oilers Second Round Pick Eemil Vinni – The Hockey Writers – Oilers Prospects

The 2024 NHL Draft concluded Saturday (June 29) at Sphere in Las Vegas, with the Edmonton Oilers making several more selections after drafting Sam O’Reilly 32.^NL overall in the first round on Friday (June 28).

With their second round pick, 64^e Overall, the Oilers selected Finnish goaltender Eemil Vinni, who spent 2023-2024 at JoKP on loan from HIFK.

Related: Eemil Vinni – 2024 NHL Draft Prospect Profile

Vinni played in Mestis, the second highest men’s hockey league in his native country. He compiled a 17-9-10 record with a 2.72 goals-against average (GAA) and a .892 save percentage (SV%) in 37 regular season games.

He turns 19 in December, is 6-foot-3, 180 pounds and plays left tackle. Here are five more things to know about the newest netminder in Edmonton’s prospect pool.

He is the highest ranked international goalkeeper

When NHL Central Scouting Central released its final rankings for the 2024 NHL Draft on April 16, Vinni had shot to the top of the list for international goaltenders. He was previously ranked No. 2, behind compatriot Finn Kim Saarinen, in the interim rankings released on January 12.

David Phillips of FC Hockey wrote: “Vinni is a very complete goalkeeper. He has a decent build and above-average athleticism, and his standout trait is his technical knowledge of the game. His precise and powerful footwork and smart movement decisions make him my No. 1 goalkeeper for this year’s class.”

Vinni ultimately became the fifth goalie selected in the 2024 Draft, and the third among international goalies, after Russians Ilya Nabokov (selected at No. 38 by the Colorado Avalanche) and Mikhail Yegorov (No. 49 by the New Jersey Devils).

He has a wealth of international experience

Vinni has already been part of the Finnish selection at four major international competitions, including the 2024 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.

He competed in the IIHF U18 World Championship in 2022 and 2023, earning a bronze medal in his first of two U18 experiences.

Vinni also played for Finland at the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, held less than 100 miles from Edmonton in Red Deer, Alberta. He played in four matches and posted a 3-1 record with a 1.75 GAA and .972 SV% to help Finland capture bronze at the annual under-18 tournament.

He is the youngest U20 player in HIFK history

On October 17, 2020, Vinni patrolled for HIFK against KalPa in the U20 SM-sarja, the premier men’s junior ice hockey league in Finland.

Vinni was only 14 years, nine months and 29 days old at the time, making him the youngest player ever to appear in a regular season match for HIFK’s U20 team. He was up to the task, stopping 21 shots in an 8-1 victory for HIFK.

Vinni played most of the 2020-21 season with HIFK’s U18 team, before becoming a regular with the U20 team in 2021-22 and 2022-23.

He is one of Edmonton’s best drafted goaltenders

Will be taken with the 64^e The overall choice makes Vinni one of the pretty exclusive companies in Edmonton’s NHL history, dating back 45 years.

He is the second-highest drafted international goalie ever by the Oilers, behind only Samu Perhonen, whom Edmonton selected at No. 62 in 2011. Perhonen, also a Finn, never made it to the NHL.

Vinn is also just the ninth goalie in franchise history to be selected in the first two rounds of the NHL Draft. The last goaltender drafted by Edmonton in Rounds 1 or 2 was Olivier Rodrique, picked at No. 62 in 2018. Rodrigue spent 2023-24 with the Bakersfield Condors, Edmonton’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate.

He’s not afraid to throw down

Vinni briefly went viral in March after fighting with 31-year-old Jokerit netminder Ville Kolppanen in a Mestis regular season match between their teams.

With skaters from both sides gathered to watch, Vinni took a few shots. Meanwhile, Kolppanen remained pretty much on the defensive until the two goalies got in each other’s way and officials finally intervened.

Kolppanen later said it was a show. The veteran gestured across the ice to his teenage counterpart, who gladly accepted the invitation to the fight. When the scrap was done, the two fighters patted each other on the back in appreciation. Both were thrown out of the match for their efforts, which still had a good period to go.

With the draft now complete, Edmonton is turning its attention to free agency, which opens Monday (July 1). Don’t be surprised if another goalie appears in the Oilers headlines the next day as rumors swirl about Jack Campbell’s future.